GIGABYTE Releases G1.Sniper 2 Z68 Gaming Motherboard

GIGABYTE just announced their newest extreme gaming motherboard, the G1.Sniper 2. This board features top of the line components to enhance game-play experience for enthusiasts. In reviewing the press release, it looks like this board is an absolute beast.

The G1.Sniper2 has many of the same features as other high-end GIGABYTE boards like 4-way CrossfireX capability, “Ultra Durable 3″ parts (2x copper PCB, solid capacitors, etc.) and DualBios (for the occasional EPIC FAIL). That’s not what this motherboard is all about though, it has all the bells and whistles, but it’s made for gaming and multimedia.

With a powerful standalone Bigfoot Killer network processing unit and a Sound Blaster X-Fi 20K2 onboard, this motherboard will definitely be the centerpiece of a high-end gaming machine.

G1.Sniper 2 Logo (Courtesy Gigabyte)

City of Industry, California, August 4th 2011 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the launch of the new G1.Sniper 2 motherboard, the latest G1-Killer Series motherboard designed for extreme gaming on the latest Intel® Z68 chipset and Intel® i7 Core ‘Sandy Bridge’ processors. Featuring several state-of-the-art onboard solutions from renowned industry leaders Creative and Bigfoot Networks, as well as many additional and exclusive GIGABYTE features, the GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard takes no prisoners in its quest for gaming supremacy.

“The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 brings our acclaimed no mercy G1-Killer gaming philosophy to Intel’s mainstream Z68 platform”, commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. “From listening closely to the gaming community, it’s clear that this is an eagerly anticipated motherboard, and one that will guarantee the fearlessly uncompromising gaming experience that so many of our customers crave.”

(Courtesy Gigabyte)

“Intel is pleased to see GIGABYTE extend its G1-Killer series to the high performance Intel® Z68 Chipset platform”, said Zane Ball, General Manager of Intel Desktop Platforms. “In combination with our 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors, the new GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard will offer an incredibly potent platform for today’s hardcore gamers.”

“We’re excited to continue our great working relationship with GIGABYTE to give gamers the competitive advantage of Sound Blaster audio on the G1.Sniper 2 Gaming Motherboard,” said Steve Erickson, VP and GM of audio and video at Creative. “When it comes to extreme gaming, dedicated Sound Blaster X-Fi 20K2 onboard processing with EAX 5.0 technology blows away the performance of any integrated chipset with host audio on the market.”

GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 Key Features

2-way CrossFireX™ and 2-way SLI™ Support

The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 is equipped to help extreme gamers see the enemy through the fog, offering the utmost graphics flexibility and upgradeability with multiple GPU support, that includes two PCI Express slots for both AMD CrossFire™ X and Nvidia SLI™ technologies in 2-way discrete card configurations. The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard delivers maximum FPS (frames per second), allowing gamers to see more clearly, aim faster, and move more quickly.

PCI Express Gen. 3 Support

The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 is one of the first motherboards to provide gamers with the latest Gen.3 PCI Express technology, delivering maximum data bandwidth for the latest discrete graphics cards.

Onboard Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Digital Audio Processor (20K2)Being able to hear where your enemy is located before you see them can put you at a distinct advantage in most gaming situations. That is why GIGABYTE has rigged the G1.Sniper 2 motherboard with the industry’s most advanced audio solutions to give you the highest caliber audio experience. The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard, as a member of the GIGABYTE G1-Killer series, is one of the world’s only gaming motherboards to feature Creative’s top-of-the-line Soundblaster Digital Audio Processor (20K2) onboard with X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity® and EAX® Advanced HD™ 5.0 technologies, allowing you to experience sound in your gaming world exactly as you would in real life.

Built-in Front Audio Headphone AmplifierSpecially designed for gamers, the GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard utilizes a high capacity amplifier which is able to drive 150Ω loads, allowing gamers to enjoy a fuller range of dynamic, crisp sound when using high quality professional headphones.

Nichicon High-end Audio Capacitors

The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard utilizes the highest quality Nichicon MUSE ES series and MW series Bi-Polarized audio capacitors at each channel layout. These professional audio capacitors deliver the highest quality sound resolution and sound expansion to create the most realistic sound effects for professional gamers.

Dedicated Network Processing Unit (NPU) with 1Gb of dedicated DDR2 memory helps offload network traffic from the CPU, freeing it up to do other important computing tasks.

Killer Network Manager

Built from the ground up for unequalled speed, intelligence and control over online game data and streaming media, Killer™ Network Manager is the network control center for the G1.Sniper 2 motherboard. This unique and exclusive application shows the networking health and performance of the G1.Sniper 2 and provides all the tools needed to manage and optimize the network connection for online games and streaming entertainment.

Advanced Stream Detect

Bigfoot Advanced Stream Detect is at the heart of Killer™ Networking Platform, intelligently prioritizing important streams, such as games, HD video, video chat and high-quality streaming audio. Now, users can enjoy silky-smooth online gaming, stutter-free streaming entertainment and crystal-clear voice chat – all at the same time. With Visual Bandwidth Control™, users have the power to adjust bandwidth for ANY network stream. Download files, play online games or even watch a video all at the same time – it’s all possible now with the Killer™ E2100 Game Networking Platform.

Locked and Loaded Heatpipe Design The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 features the distinctive heatpipe design that identifies all GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards. You’ll soon find that it is as deadly to heat as it looks.

Locked and Loaded Design (Courtesy Gigabyte)

By effectively spreading the heat from the critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU VRM zone and quickly dissipating it, all GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards remain cool, even when the battle heats up. Modeled after common firearms issued to soldiers deployed to a warzone, including pistol, rifle and ammo magazine, the Locked and Loaded heatpipe design utilizes a unique fluting technology similar to a rifle barrel fluting, which allows for maximum heat dispersion.

Intel® Z68 Express Chipset Support

Supporting the new 2nd generation Sandy Bridge Intel® Core™ processors, the G1.Sniper 2 brings several technical enhancements and features never before seen on an extreme gaming motherboard. These features include Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Quick Sync Video and LucidLogix Virtu™ GPU Virtulization. The G1.Sniper 2 also supports forthcoming 22nm processors.

Intel® Smart Response Technology

The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard features Intel® Smart Response Technology, allowing users to experience system performance similar to SSD only systems by using intelligent block-based caching of frequently used applications to improve system performance and responsiveness, outperforming HDD-only systems by as much as 4X (PC Mark Vantage HDD Score).

GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response

GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 users can also take advantage of the exclusive GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response utility, allowing a user-friendly and automatic Intel® Smart Response setup, without having to perform an operating system reinstallation and BIOS reconfiguration. This allows you to quickly and effortlessly enjoy a significant boost in system performance.

Intel® Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video makes fast work of creating, editing, synchronizing, and sharing videos–at home and online– without the expense of additional hardware. In fact, Intel Quick Sync Video delivers up to 5X faster media processing than any other solution for incredibly fast conversion of video files for portable media players or online sharing.

Switchable Graphics with LucidLogix Virtu GPU Virtualization

The GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard supports LucidLogix Virtu™ GPU Virtualization technology which allows users to dynamically switch between their built-in graphics and their high-end, 3D discrete graphics cards. In so doing, switchable graphics help to dramatically reduce PC graphics power consumption while boosting performance when it is needed most.

GIGABYTE Touch BIOS™

Navigating through the BIOS to change system settings can be a daunting task for users not familiar with control “F” functions and mouse-less navigation. While some BIOSes try to address this with a mouse friendly environment, many implementations still lack a certain ease-of-use necessary for most people. With Touch BIOS™, GIGABYTE engineers have completely re-imagined how users can interact with their BIOS, allowing for a more intuitive user experience whether using a keyboard, mouse or touch screen monitor. In fact, with a touch screen monitor, GIGABYTE Touch BIOS™ is as easy to use as most apps on an iPhone.

Note: Not all images from the press release were included in this article. For more images and information visit the link above.

One interesting thing to note is this board features PCI-e 3.0 compatibility even though there are no cards using this technology. It’s nice to keep in mind, but it certainly is not a factor to consider when purchasing a new board as PCI-e 3.0 is still a long time away. GIGABYTE followed up this announcement with another press release detailing PCI-e 3.0 and 22nm compatibility. Right now, this is likely just an “arms race” between the manufacturers to see who can be the first to market with this new platform.

Hopefully Overclockers.com gets the opportunity to take a closer look at this board. Let’s just hope it performs half as good as it looks.

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